A few thoughts on the world of sports…

What’s up Ya’ll!

This is ya boy Mattie T checkin’ in with a brand new blog for everyone.

But before i begin, we gotta talk about the BMSRadio.com Launch Jam which took place last night in Bridgeview!

The show was hot, we had several comedians, poets and Rap/R&B artists that got up on the stage and did their thing. There were even a couple of people that did karoake during the intermission, so we kept it live throughout the evening.

The DJ was really dope too. You can request just about any song and he knew all the words to it, along with some dance moves. I’m definitely thinkin’ about coming back down there in the future.

Big Thanks to Real Time Sports Bar & Grill in Bridgeview for letting us hold the event & a big thanks to D-Man Seabrooks from BET for hosting the show. D-Man has a free comedy show every Wednesday night that everyone should check out. (He’s on BMS Radio Chicago’s top 24 on Myspace.)

Now, on to Mattie T’s thoughts on the world of sports…

Congratulations to Tiger Woods, who won his 3rd British Open today and his 11th major overall. Woods won by 2 strokes over Chris DiMarco, giving Woods his 3rd tournament win in 2006. His finish was definitely emotional, as Woods screamed “Yes!” before burying his head in caddie Steve Williams’ shoulder and sobbed.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

This personally shows everyone that Tiger is STILL the best golfer in the world. To be able to overcome such a devastating loss when his father passed away and win the first major since his death really shows me how much Eldrick “Tiger” Woods should be valued as a person.

New Orleans Saints’ Rookie RB Reggie Bush (coverboy for NCAA Football 2007) is toying about going into a holdout that would sit him out for the entire 2006-07 season and re-enter himself into the 2007 NFL Draft. Reggie has pubicly said that he doesn’t want to play in New Orleans, but he has made several donations to Hurricane Katrina victims since his statement.

If Bush were to play this season, he would have to battle for a starting position with 3 time Pro Bowl RB Deuce McAllister. Deuce is trying to come back from a knee injury which sidelined him for 11 games last season.

Before Deuce’s injury, he had 3 consecutive seasons of 1,000+ yards rushing, making him one of the top RB’s in the NFC.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

I hope Reggie is not surprised by all this, because this is what defines the business of the NFL every day. I think he should sitout and try to re-enter the ‘07 Draft, because i don’t think New Orleans is the best situation for him right now. He needs to go to a team that needs IMMEDIATE help at running back. If the New York Jets falter again in ‘06, they could be Reggie Bush’s future home with RB Curtis Martin nearing the end of a future Hall-of-Fame career.

Former NFL running back Ricky Williams broke his left arm in the second quarter of the Toronto Argonauts’ 26-23 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night and will be out indefinitely.

Williams finished the game with 17 yards on 4 carries, including a 16-yard run. He is currently 6th in the CFL in rushing with 214 yards on 53 carries (4.0 yards per carry)

Williams is playing in the CFL due to his one-year suspension by the NFL for having a positive drug test, his 4th. If Williams misses any time due to injury, it will be the first time that he has been sidelined since the 2000 season when he suffered a broken left ankle that sidelined him for the final 6 games with the New Orleans Saints.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

I think Ricky really messed things up for himself & the Dolphins when he suddenly “quit” a few seasons ago before training camp started. It seems like all that weed-smokin’ is getting to him also. (Why do you think he’s been suspended 4 times for positive drug tests?) I hope Ricky gets it together and i hope to see him in a NFL uniform sometime in the near future. He was one of the best running backs in pro football before all of this happened and i hope this is not the downside of his career.

St. Louis Rams’ RB Marshall Faulk will undergo major reconstructive knee surgery which will cause him to miss the entire 2006 season and most likely end his career. If Faulk does retire, he will finish 9th on the NFL’s career rushing list & 34 yards behind Jim Brown.

Marshall Faulk was the first player in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive seasons from 1998-2001. Faulk also has seven 1,000 yard rushing seasons, but hasn’t had a 1,000 yard season since 2001 when his Rams were stunned by Tom Brady’s New England Patriots during Super Bowl XXXVI.

Faulk also won NFL MVP in 2000 after setting a NFL Record with 26 total touchdowns by a running back. Faulk’s record has been broken twice, once by Kansas City Chiefs’ RB Priest Holmes in 2003 when Holmes recorded 27 touchdowns, & in 2005 when Seattle Seahawks’ RB Shaun Alexander (coverboy for Madden 2007) recorded 28 touchdowns.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

Marshall Faulk definitely was one of the big reasons why the St. Louis Rams’ were so sucessfull during their playoff stretch in the late 90’s-early 2000. Faulk is so dangerous out of the backfield, or lining up as a wide receiver. I don’t think we will ever see a dual-combo RB as good as Faulk was for quite some time.

What’s up with Ozzie Guillen & the White Sox?

The defending World Series Champs are just 1-7 since the All-Star break. Their latest loss came last night as they fell 3-1 to the Texas Rangers. Chicago will send Jon Garland to the mound today as they try to avoid their second sweep in recent weeks.

The Sox are currently 6.5 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers, who sport baseball’s best record at 65-32. The New York Yankees are just 1.5 games behind Chicago for the American League Wild Card lead, & Minnesota is just 3 games back.

Chicago will play Minnesota tomorrow night in a pivotal 3 game series from U.S. Cellular Field.

Mattie T’s Thoughts:

I think the Sox need to make a couple of deals before the trading deadline passes. They need to deal for another starter, some bullpen help and a centerfielder.

We know that the postseason rotation will consist of Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras & Javier Vasquez.

After that, the final spot could be a toss-up between Freddy Garcia (22 Hr’s allowed) & Jon Garland (5.19 ERA, 19 Hr’s allowed)

Starting centerfielder Brian Anderson is barely hitting over .200, so the Sox might want to look at some CF’s around the league who can complete a lineup that leads the Majors in home runs with 144 entering Sunday’s action.

Sox GM Kenny Williams might look for bullpen help to replace the recently departed Cliff Politte.

Politte was a key part in the White Sox’s bullpen last season as he helped Chicago win their first World Series championship since 1917. This year though, Politte sported a 8.70 ERA and was unable to get out batters, who hit .353 off him.
That’s all for this week!

Next week, i will have stories on the rifted relationship between former teammates Donovan McNabb & Terrell Owens, a look at Team USA’s practices and upcoming games against international competition, and MLB trade rumors & deals as the July 31st deadline gets closer & closer.

Until next time,

That’s a Wrap!

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com